Where I Belong
by horcrux-of-the-daleks
Summary: A fangirl's dream come true. Young Julie's world is turned upside down when she receives an odd letter delivered in an odd fashion. Set in the Next Generation.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Thought I Was Normal**

**A/N: So this story was supposed to be written a long time ago, but I just haven't had time. This story is more written for myself, but I decided, after asking you guys, my readers, about it that I would publish this. We'll see how this turns out!**

**By the way, my dog's real name is Fred, I didn't just write that as a tribute to Fred Weasley (although my dog does have red hair!). I miss Fred Weasley with all my heart; don't get me wrong, but that is not the reason.**

I always thought I was normal.

I suppose I knew I never was.

Here's a little about myself: I'm a short, skinny thirteen-year-old girl named Julie. I have light brown hair styled in a short, angled bob cut and I have eyes that are either blue-green or grayish, depending on my mood. I'm known as the class nerd, along with my friends Sarah, Karina, Abby and Vicky and am famous for my good grades and my obsession with the Harry Potter series. I'm a fairly social person, although I tend to be awkward around guys and people I don't know well, and yet everyone seems to know who I am (probably because I answer almost every question a teacher asks in class.)

So, as you can tell, it appears as though I could not be more ordinary.

Well, I left out a few things.

Sometimes, when I get angry with someone, something will happen to him or her. Their shoe will fall off, they might trip in the hallway, and the best one was when a guy who tended to sag his pants angered me and somehow ended up with his baggy jeans around his ankles. I used to think that it was luck on my side.

All this, you could call it ignorance, vanished in just one day.

I'll start from the beginning.

It was a warm day in the middle of June, close to the end of the school year and I was riding my bike though my neighborhood just outside of London, England with my dog running at my side, on the way to get the post from a block or two away. It was a normal day (here I go using that word again. _Normal_), and my forested street was as lush as ever. Little did I know that my world was about to be turned upside down.

I rounded the bend on my street to see a strange sight. There was a large _thing _sitting on top of the mailbox, something my red-haired dog Fred didn't like at all. I approached slowly on my bicycle, taking my companion's canine advice and being cautious. When I was finally close enough to distinguish what the thing was, I was shocked to see a huge eagle owl sitting there on top of the mailbox with something, it looked like a letter, in its beak.

At this point, I was very nervous. After all, it's not every day that an owl interrupts your trip to retrieve the post on a Saturday afternoon with a letter in its beak. I got off my bike and tied my dog to a tree nearby using the leash I carried with me in my purse in order to try and either see if I could get the letter or shoo the bird away. The latter idea did not work in the slightest, in fact as I drew nearer, the owl hooted and stuck its head out at me, the letter clutched in its jaw. I approached slowly still. Owls, after all, are not known to be friendly towards people, and I didn't fancy being bitten or scratched by this one.

The eagle owl, however, didn't seem at all perturbed by my presence and simply hooted again, tilting its great head from side to side.

I eventually reached a position close enough to the bird to reach out my hand and grab hold of the letter. The second I grabbed it, the owl simply let go and flew off into the sky, headed North.

Once I got over the initial shock, I looked at the letter to see, written in green ink, were these words:

_Miss J. Kennedy_

_Number 3, Sandy Lane_

_Brentwood, England_

I was all the more surprised and confused when I saw, on the other side of the envelope, an image I knew all too well. One I had stared at, drawn and envisioned countless times, but never one I thought I would ever see on a letter. It was a crest of sorts, divided into four parts: one with a lion, one with a snake, a third with a badger and the last had an eagle, with the Latin words _draco dormiens nunquam tittilandus _written underneath, that I knew, though research online, translated to _never tickle a sleeping dragon_. This crest had one word written above it.

Hogwarts.

I saw this and, abandoning the rest of the post, untied my dog's leash, replaced it in my black messenger bag, grabbed my bike and raced home, Freddy loping along beside me.

I reached my house after what seemed like an age and ran inside, tossing my bike carelessly in my haste into the garage. I sprinted into the kitchen where my mom was finishing doing the dishes.

"Did you get the post?" she asked as usual.

I told her no, and when she asked why, I explained what happened with the owl while I was out. She immediately asked to see the letter, worried that it may be someone's idea of a prank. Once she inspected the letter, she agreed that I might as well open it.

_Dear Miss Kennedy,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_We regret to inform you, however, that during the Second Wizarding War that took place from 1996-1998 as well as during the year afterwards as we rebuilt our government, almost all records of Muggleborns were lost. As such, we request that you arrive two months prior to the other students so that you, along with many others, may catch up on your studies. We await your owl by June 20__th__ at the latest; please arrive at the train station on July the first._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall, headmistress_

Surely enough, inside the envelope was a ticket for the Hogwarts Express at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, along with a list of spellbooks and equipment such as a cauldron and brass scales.

My mom was still skeptical, however, still worried I was being scammed, but I pointed out that it couldn't hurt to try. I knew the supposed location of the Leaky Cauldron, being the die-hard Potterhead that I am, so I suggested we at least go and have a look. She agreed, but said we should wait until tomorrow since my dad and sister were out, and she wanted to discuss it with my dad.

**A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, if you haven't already seen my other story, From One Era to the Next, it's a Jily story with all canon pairings, so if that interests you, please go check it out!**

**Pleas leave me a review, I'm not sure if I should keep publishing this, seeing as it's focused around myself rather than being a general story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Diagon Alley**

**A/N: So, I decided to publish a new chapter for this story after getting a couple of good reviews, as well as some followers, so thanks to everyone who has read this story!**

**Sorry I haven't been updating, I have been suffering extreme writer's block for both this story and From One Era to the Next, and then I went away on vacation for a week, so I apologize profusely for that. Nevertheless, I am back and can now continue updating! Enjoy chapter two!**

I will be honest, on the way to downtown London, I began too feel skeptical myself about the whole idea of the Leaky Cauldron being where I thought it should be. Not that I thought that I would be wrong about the location, rather I feared the whole letter was a joke, some sort of hoax made to get my hopes up and have them come crashing back down. So, as you would have expected, I was shocked to see, right where it should be, an old-looking building in between a bookshop (which had copies of the Harry Potter books in the window) and a music shop (from which I had purchased the flute I have now had for three years).

I looked at my mom who appeared even more surprised than me to see the pub, but smiled at me encouragingly nonetheless. My dad and sister Natalie were on my other side with expressions of awe, even though the place wasn't really very impressive-looking. My entire family loved the story of Harry Potter, although I was the most obsessed out of the four of us (my sister currently addicted to manga and Doctor Who, having gone through the Potter phase a couple of years previous). My parents had read the books to my sister and I as bedtime stories when we were little, and eventually Natalie learned how to read herself mainly because my mom or dad would read only one chapter each night, going much too slowly for her liking. So, all four of us were left speechless upon seeing that the Leaky Cauldron and, most likely, Diagon Alley were truly real.

After (somewhat) recovering from the shock (and getting some odd looks from passers-by who must have thought we were mental, standing there staring at the spade between two ordinary stores) my family and I walked into the building.

The interior was just as I imagined it, old looking and worn, but welcoming and comforting at the same time. I lingered for a while, looking around in awe at all the magic being used. There were cloths wiping the table as though being controlled by an invisible barmaid, and a wizard using his finger to control the spoon stirring his coffee without touching the spoon itself (I also happened to notice he was reading _A Brief History of Time _by Stephen Hawking, good on him for still studying science!) There were many other situations, but I won't go into great detail of those.

I walked outside with my sister (my parents were talking to Tom, the bartender) to a sight that left us both even more elated than that of the Laky Cauldron.

Diagon Alley was bustling with people, most of them students getting their school supplies for the year ahead. My mom and dad joined us, and together we walked (Natalie and I practically skipped) to Gringotts, the location of the wizarding bank easy for me to remember.

The goblins inside the great marble structure were startling at first. I felt quite intimidated, remembering how Griphook had tricked the Golden Trio, nearly resulting in their deaths, but put on a brave face and eventually opened my new vault (number 625 with 500 brand-new galleons inside).

The next hour or so was spent buying robes, equipment and books, my favorite store so far being Flourish and Blotts, the magical bookshop.

Next, I entered Eeylop's Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie where, without hesitation, went to look at the owls. There were many to choose from, and I took my time pondering before eventually deciding on a barn owl, a female whom I decided to name Iris after the Greek messenger goddess.

Spellbooks, equipment, robes and owl in hand, I made my final stop in Ollivander's wand shop with my family helping me with my purchases. Thankfully, I did not have to buy everything I would need to cover three years of studies; it said on my shopping list that I would be using spare books from the school.

Ollivander's, like everything else, was exactly as I had imagined it; a large desk was adjacent to the door, behind which stood stacks and stacks of long, narrow boxes, each one I knew contained an individual wand, differing in type of wood, core, length and flexibility.

There didn't appear to be anybody inside, but I tentatively said a quiet "Hello," and Ollivander, an old wizard with a short gray beard appeared from behind a shelf of wands.

"Hello, there, come to buy your first wand, I presume?" he asked.

"Y– yes," I stuttered, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Very well," was all he said before moving to the other side of the desk. "Please hold out your wand arm."

Knowing he meant the arm I write with, I held out my right arm and he began measuring seemingly random distances; the distance between my belly button and my toe, my pinky finger and my elbow, the circumference of my head, even the distance I stood from the door. I would have laughed had it not been horrible timing for me to burst into a fit of giggles, the shop being so silent.

Ollivander then walked back into the maze of wands, reappearing moments later, an open box in his hands.

"Ash with dragon heartstring, ten and a half inches, slightly swishy," he told me.

I pulled the wand from the box; it was fairly simple in design with a checkered pattern in the handle and a small sphere right before a stretch of plain, designless wood stretching to the tip. I gave it a small wave and the ceiling began to flash and make sounds like thunder claps.

""No, no, definitely not," Ollivander muttered.

The wandmaker disappeared again and came back with a new wand.

"Ebony with unicorn hair core, fourteen inches, unyielding," he told me what this wand was made of.

This time, when I waved the jet-black wand with a ridged handle and what looked like carved leaf twisted from the end of the handle to the tip, a shower of bright blue and purple sparks shot out of the end. I jumped at first then smiled, looking over at my family.

"Yes, I think this is the wand for you," said Ollivander.

"Thank you, sir," I beamed at the wand still in my hand, although the sparks had stopped.

I gave him the seven Galleons for my purchase and with that, left Diagon Alley.

**A/N: Again, I'm so so so sorry for my lack of activity, I will try to update more frequently from now on!**

**Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Waiting**

**A/N: Yay, a new chapter is finished! I tried to make sure to get this one done ASAP since I've gotten into a creative mood and I'm kind of obsessed with this story (is it weird that I'm making myself fangirl?)**

**That's enough of my blabbing, on with the story!**

It seemed to take forever for the month of June to come to an end. My parents decided that they were not about to let me skip out of the rest of the school year, no matter how much I wanted to. I do like school, no matter how weird that makes me, but how could I possibly go to boring old Shenfield when I will be at Hogwarts studying magic so soon?

I knew that once I left, I would probably lose my friendship with my best friends Sarah, Karina, Abby and Vicky, and that sadden me deeply, since they were the first friends I made when I had moved to the area. I knew I wouldn't be able to tell them of my experiences without risking breaking the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, a crime that could potentially land me in Azkaban, although I doubt they would send someone as young as myself _there_.

Still, though, I had to tell my friends that I would no longer be attending our high school anymore.

I decided I would tell them at lunch in the library, since all five of us ate in there and we could easily find a solitary corner to converse in.

I put this plan into action two weeks before I left and pulled the four of them off to the side.

"What was it you wanted to talk to us about?" asked Abby, irritated that I had made her abandon her lunch.

"Are you alright? Why did you need to talk to us in private?" Vicky ignored her.

"I'm fine, I promise," I smiled at her reassuringly.

"Then what's going on?" Sarah asked before I could continue.

"I would tell you if you three would quit interrupting me!" I tried to glare, but failed, laughing instead before turning sombre. "I'm going to a private school next year. My parents got an e-mail saying that they wanted to enrol me."

"You're funny, now tell us what really happened, you're freaking me out," Sarah flicked my head. That's how Sarah and I work: we want what's best for each other and we make each other laugh (a lot), but neither of us are afraid to (literally) smack some sense into the other.

"I'm serious. I'm not coming back here next year."

"When did this happen?" Karina asked me, looking very concerned.

"About a week ago. I didn't know how to tell you, I'm really sorry," I apologized.

"What are you saying sorry for?" Sarah put on a tone that just said, 'What the hell, Julie?' "Are you seriously apologizing for being accepted into some fancy-ass boarding school?"

She does swear a fair bit.

"Yeah," I answered.

Sarah smacked me lightly across the head. "Well, stop it!"

"Why?" everyone else stayed silent as we discussed. "I'm going to miss you, and it's a boarding school so I'll only be back on breaks!"

"I'm gonna miss you too, Julie, but don't feel bad for it, it's not your fault you're a genius!"

"First of all, I am not a genius, as I have told you constantly," this was a running argument between us: Sarah thought I was a genius and I disagree every time, arguing that good grades do not make a person a genius. "And second of all, it's not that I'm apologizing for the fact that I got accepted, and more for the fact that I won't be able to see any of you for a long time."

"Fine, then. Continue."

"There's not much else to say, although I do have to go there for a couple of months this summer since I'm starting later than most other students. They need to make sure I'm caught up with their curriculum, so I'll only have the last week of August at home before I have to go back on September the first."

"We're going to miss you, Julie," Abby stopped sulking and smiled sadly at me. "But I'm happy for you. This is a good opportunity and I don't want you to pass it up."

"Thanks," I smiled at her. Abby, although she could be grumpy occasionally, was capable of keeping a level head when it was needed.

I stayed there with my four best friends, and the subject of conversation eventually shifted to another subject (much to my relief; I hate lying to them) as we waited out the rest of the lunch hour, all of us having lost our appetites.

I spent almost every minute of the next week with my friends, including those I wasn't as close with and ended up telling, although not in the corner, that was only so that my closest friends would know first. I wanted to savour these last few days with them before I left for Hogwarts (or Hemtress, as I told everyone; I'm a terrible liar). I value my friends above all else and would have a difficult time leaving them behind.

_I just wish one of them had also been accepted._

_At least I would be able to see them during breaks, right?_

_It wouldn't be the same._

_Who says it won't be, though? It might be great!_

I'm arguing with myself again. I do this a lot; I have this sort of inner battle where I'm trying to win against myself. It tends to end with me frustrated, sitting in the nearest chair,

I had already sent a letter to the school (the eagle owl that had delivered my letter came back), and I was so excited to finally go, the adjective didn't even begin to describe how I felt. It is the dream of every Potter fan to go to this legendary school, and I finally had my chance. But I was still upset.

I also felt really bad that my sister couldn't go as well. I knew that she was happy that I had gotten my letter, but I could see the jealousy, however slight, on her face when I got my wand to make sparks or tried out a spell or read my new books every once in a while at home.

Still, despite the bereavement I was already feeling, even though I haven't left yet, I was still trying to learn spells. I had mastered only two (it was harder than it looked), _Wingardium Leviosa _and _Lumos. _My wand was still glowing since I was still trying to figure out _Nox._

I was glad I had gone back to Diagon Alley with my dad, at least, so that I could buy the _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ so that I could practice. Technically, since I did not yet go to Hogwarts, I knew this underage magic would be accepted. After all, how were they to know I knew already there was no magic allowed outside school?

I went to sleep the last night of June with my trunk packed and my wand by my side.

**A/N: That part with my friends did not come as a figment of my imagination, rather I was writing how my real friends would react (Sarah aka Dauntlesshadowitch read this beforehand and said that I portrayed her scarily well, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little proud).**

**That's all I wanted to say.**

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Finally**

**A/N: There's nothing much to say here, so… yeah. *Insert socially awkward smile here***

Despite my complaints that I wanted to go to Hogwarts the second I had my wand, it all seemed to go very quickly. One minute, I'm on a routine trip to get the post, and a couple weeks later, on the first of July, my family and I are in the car, on our way to King's Cross station.

My trunk was full of everything I may need, including my robes that my mom had not allowed me to wear to the station, and then actually go through to the platform, saying that it would attract too much unwanted attention. I made sure to bring my digital camera as well; I knew Hogwarts would not always be so new, but can anyone really blame me? Besides, my family would want to see what the school really looked like on the inside.

Once at platforms nine and ten, however, I realized that this may be more of a challenge than I had anticipated; there were tons tourists here, taking turns having their pictures taken with the half of a trolley that had been installed on the wall in memorial of the Harry Potter series. This was not going to be an easy task.

Fortunately, at ten minutes to eleven o'clock, ten minutes before I was scheduled to get on the Hogwarts Express with the other students, a regular Muggle train pulled up and the tourists left for the time being. Right before another swarm appeared (I knew how popular this place was as an attraction), my parents, my sister and I walked up to the brick wall, leaned on it, and went straight through. I stumbled a bit, half expecting it not to work, causing Iris, my barn owl, to hoot at me from her cage.

"Sorry, Iris!" I petted her soft brown, black and white feathers through the bars of her cage.

The sight that met my eyes when I looked up took my breath away; there it was, the scarlet Hogwarts Express, puffing smoke and looking nothing like a replica. There were fewer families there than I had expected, although I suppose that it was due to the fact that most students wouldn't be going until September.

I walked up to the train with my family and, after giving them all a hug and a goodbye, took my time boarding the Express. The interior was beautiful, just as I had pictured it: off-white walls with dark wood trim and several large windows ended in a pale blue, almost periwinkle carpet on one end and a cream-coloured ceiling on the other. The compartments were similarly styled with red velvet couch-like seats on each wall and a small table under the window.

I walked slowly on for a bit, before entering a compartment where I could see my parents and sister on the platform. I opened the window, and, willing myself to smile rather than cry, waved back. I may be going to the school of my dreams, but that didn't stop me from being nervous about leaving them behind.

The train slowly started moving forwards, right as the clock on the wall struck eleven, and I was off. I noticed, though, that I was the only person in my compartment. I wasn't surprised, with so few students compared to the regular school year, everybody could probably have one to themselves.

I decided then that I would see if I could find someone else sitting by him or herself and join them; there was really no reason for anybody to be alone, especially since we would all be nervous enough as it was without worrying about being friendless.

I tentatively walked out of my compartment and towards the back of the train where the more nervous kids would probably be sitting. I walked for a bit before something caught my eye. A person. But… It couldn't be! It was. She was about the same height as myself (substantially short) and had hair a kind of sandy colour that reached her underarms. She had brown eyes with silver eyeshadow and looked bored out of her mind despite the excitement.

Sarah.

One of my best friends was sitting in a compartment by herself, staring out the window of the Hogwarts Express.

_Well, I might as well take this opportunity to try a small prank,_ I thought. I'm not exactly a jokester, so this prank would certainly not be clever, but it would at least startle my friend.

I walked confidently to the door of her compartment and opened it. To my surprise, she didn't seem to notice.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I join you?" I asked as calmly as I could manage, but without being able to wipe the smile off my face.

At this, Sarah looked up, confused for a moment before she grinned and jumped up, catching me in a suffocating hug with a loud squeal of "Julie!"

I laughed at her reaction when she allowed me to breathe again.

"How did you know I was here? Did you guess I also got my letter? Did McGonagall tell you? What took you so long to get here? I've been sitting here all by myself!" a rush of questions exploded from her mouth.

"I was just going to join someone who looked lonely. You seemed pretty depressed to me."

This earned me a light smack.

"Hey!" Sarah tried to sound defiant, but failed miserably.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," I laughed again.

We stayed for about half an hour, talking about when we got our acceptance letters, what our wands were made of as well as which house we thought we might be sorted into, until I eventually remembered what I had originally set out to do, and asked Sarah to join me.

"Sure," she nodded. "We have each other to be friends with, but some people won't have anybody."

Together we continued the path I had started, and came across someone almost immediately. She was a tall girl with dark brown hair that reached just below her shoulders in very slightly waved layers, and brown eyes behind purple rectangular glasses. The girl looked about our age and smiled kindly when we introduced ourselves.

"I'm Tori. Tori Tidd," she said.

"It's good to meet you, Tori. Do you mind if we join you? We thought you looked a bit lonely," I said, before realizing that may have sounded rude, added, "What I meant was, there's no need for you to sit by yourself."

"I don't mind at all, come on in."

The conversation was awkward, none of us really knowing what to say to the other, but we were interrupted by the trolley lady walking down the corridor.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asked kindly.

"I'll have a pumpkin juice and a cauldron cake," I said.

Sarah and Tori ordered the same, not really knowing what else there was, much as I had, although Tori said something that almost knocked me out of my seat.

"…and some Redvines," she finished.

The trolley lady, confused, simply said she didn't have any, and gave Tori the same items I had ordered. The second she left and Tori closed the door, Sarah and I started laughing uncontrollably.

"You like Starkid too? A Very Potter Musical?" I guessed once I had calmed down.

"Yeah," Tori grinned. "I especially like Lauren Lopez as Draco Malfoy."

"Us too!" Sarah exclaimed.

The rest of the train ride was much more comfortable after that. I also discovered that Tori and I were scarily alike personality-wise, even sharing a birthday. We eventually arrived at the station, the three of us sticking together as we left the train and entered Hogsmeade for the first time.

**A/N: Please leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Hogwarts**

**A/N: A big thank you to Potterhorse-Spirit for pointing out to me that the camera wouldn't work in Hogwarts, being digital and all, so I apologize for that slip-up (it's been a while since I read the books) and will fix it here.**

**I apologize for neglecting this story, but a lot has been going on in my life, and I've not been in the mood for writing. I'm really sorry, but this could not be helped.**

"C'mon, everybody, this way!" a kind, gruff voice said from down near the front of the train.

Sarah, Tori and I smiled at each other. "Hagrid," we said in unison.

The half-giant was standing, towering over all the students, but had a kind manner about him and did not seem unapproachable, at least not to me. He announced that we would be taking the boats across the Black Lake to get to the school. I got in one of the boats with Tori beside me, and Sarah behind us with a boy who looked about our age. He was tall with dark brown hair and green eyes, and seemed to get along quite easily with my sandy-haired friend. I found out that his name was Noah, and had not known much about the Wizarding World until he got his letter a few weeks before I did.

As it turns out, most of the Muggleborns had had Professor McGonagall come to their homes and explain to their parents what the letters were all about. I suppose she did know after all I was aware of how things worked in the world I was now a part of.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who took up an entire boat. "Right, then – FORWARD!"

The group of little boats floated across the water, which was smooth as glass. Nobody spoke; even I was lost for words, staring at the castle that grew bigger as we approached the cliff it stood on.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as his boat (which was in the lead) approached the cliff. We all ducked our heads, some more than others, as the boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a cave in the cliff. The boats sailed through a dark tunnel until we reached a sort of underground harbour and climbed out onto a sort of pebbly beach.

I climbed up the passage with Tori, Sarah and Noah, following Hagrid's lamp, until we were all standing on smooth, damp grass right beside Hogwarts. We walked up a small flight of stone steps and stopped in front of the huge oak door.

"Everyone here?" Hagrid said before knocking three times on the door, which opened instantly.

A tall, now grey-haired witch stood there in emerald-green robes with a stern expression. _McGonagall _I thought, happy with my own knowledge.

"The new students, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid, I will take them from here."

She pulled the door fully open. The Entrance Hall was bigger than I had ever imagined, you could fit a small house inside the walls. The Hall was lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and there was a magnificent marble staircase led to the upper floors. I knew, though, that the best was yet to come. Camera forgotten (the Muggle technology wouldn't work here anyway), I tried to memorize it.

The headmistress stopped before we could go inside the Great Hall, however, and told us a bit about what was to come.

"As you all know from your letters, you are all arriving here to Hogwarts two months early. This is because, sadly, your records as Muggleborn witches and wizards from when you were born were either lost or destroyed during the Second Wizarding War.

"Furthermore, normally at Hogwarts, all students are to be sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and your house would be like your family. However, since there are so few students for the time being, you will be staying in the Hufflepuff common room and dormitories until September."

She then opened the double doors and I walked in to the Great Hall for the first time. It was, for lack of a better word, magical. The entire place was lit by thousands of candles floating above four long tables, occupied only with ghosts for the moment, along with rows upon rows of golden plates, bowls, water goblets and cutlery. There was also a slightly shorter table in the room; this one was at the far end, away from the door, where the teachers were sitting. I saw a few faces I was able to name: Hagrid, I assumed taught Care of Magical Creatures, the man with the large belly and balding head must be Slughorn, the witch with enormous spectacles and endless shawls is undoubtedly Trelawney, along with Professors Binns (the ghost), Flitwick and Hooch. This was so cool.

Once the group of teenage students recovered from the shock, we sat down in the Great Hall, separating ourselves over two tables. One of the ghosts, a large man wearing monk's robes patted my shoulder, making it feel as though I had dipped my entire arm into a bucket of ice water.

It's still awesome.

McGonagall then stood up from her seat in the middle of the head table and raised her hands for everyone to stop talking. "Let the feast begin."

All of a sudden, enormous amounts of food appeared on the table before us. The plated filled with everything you have ever seen at a family dinner, basically, minus your aunt's saltless gravy: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled, roasted _and_ fried potatoes, Yorkshire pudding (my favorite), pudding, peas, carrots, broccoli, ketchup, everything. Even some peppermint humbugs that I remembered were there for Harry's first year. I piled my plate even though I'm a small eater, and it was all delicious. If I ever met one of the house elves, I would make sure to thank them a thousand times over just for this.

When everyone had eaten their full, the remaining food on the plates disappeared, leaving the dishes perfectly clean. I wish I knew how to do that for when it was my turn to do the dishes at home. Almost immediately after the dinner disappeared, the desserts showed up. Again, there was an insane assortment of foods. Ice cream, pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding, they had it all. At least I wouldn't have to worry about not liking the food (I'm a picky eater sometimes).

We all finally ate our fill, and, feeling a bit lethargic, were led to the Hufflepuff common room by the head of Hufflepuff house, Susan Bones. I walked with Tori, Sarah and Noah, but we left him behind when we got to our rooms. The girls' dorms, just like those in the Gryffindor common room, are protected against boys entering by the stairs that would turn into a slide, according to Professor Bones. The common room itself was nice, very cozy. It was round, earthy and low ceilinged and had windows that displayed picture-perfect scenes of grass and dandelions. There was a lot of burnished copper and many plants, presumably borrowed from the Herbology department.

The dormitories were similar, copper four-poster beds on which hung yellow curtains with black trimming. Each person had a dresser, bedside table and a storage box, the last one placed at the foot of each girl's bed, while the other two were on the sides. It turned out that Tori, Sarah, myself and another girl named Maya were the only girls there in our year for these next couple of months. Maya was an average height, strong-looking girl with long, wavy light brown hair and looked intimidating at first, but was really quite friendly when I spoke to her.

The four of us talked for a few minutes, introduced ourselves, but fell asleep within half an hour.

**A/N: Please leave a review!**

**Note for Dauntlesshadowitch: Maya was one of my friends from before I moved; don't wrack your brain trying to remember who she is.**


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